The Home Secretary Mr David Blunkett is facing a showdown with his French counterpart as the Blair government comes under mounting pressure to sort-out its asylum and immigration policies.
The Conservative leadership candidate, Mr Kenneth Clarke entered the row yesterday, claiming Britain's immigration system had "totally collapsed" because of ministerial incompetence at the Home Office. Mr Clarke said vast numbers of refugees were coming to Britain in the knowledge that they would not be deported and claimed the administrative processes - which had not worked well under the last Conservative government - were now "overwhelmed" and had "totally collapsed in the hands of aincompetent administration that doesn't know how to rebuild it."
The Shadow Home Secretary, Ms Ann Widdecombe - who is supporting Mr Clarke's leadership bid - repeated her call for all new asylum applicants to be placed in "secure reception centres." Ms Widdecombe told Sky News: "Our black economy, the ease with which you can disappear in this country, the absence of identity cards and other things which are present in other countries, make us a magnet. You can get over that with secure reception centres." Mr Blunkett will meet the French interior, Mr Daniel Vaillant in Paris next Wednesday amid mounting concern at attempts by asylum seekers to breach security at the Eurotunnel entrance at Calais, and ongoing speculation about reported plans for a second French refugee centre to be located in Lille or near Dunkirk.
Mr Blunkett attempted to regain the initiative after Downing Street failed to deflect growing criticism over developments around the existing Red Cross refugee centre at Sangatte, conceding these were a matter for the Red Cross and the French authorities .
Having confirmed the resumption of direct talks with his French opposite number, Mr Blunkett signalled that Sangatte was "a huge problem" for the British government, while stressing the need for an international and Europe-wide solution to the asylum problem.
Mr Blunkett heaped scorn on a call from the Conservative MP, Mr Nicholas Soames for the deployment of troops at both ends of the Channel Tunnel, while promising increased checks at British entry points. The current crisis, he said, had been triggered by the success of other government measures designed to curb illegal entry into the UK.
Of next week's meeting with Mr Vaillant, the Home Secretary said: "I'm going to talk with him sensibly about what would be in the best interests of the French people and government as well as ourselves, so that we can get some leverage into this situation. It isn't in the interests of the French government and people along the coast to have these people (asylum seekers) piling up in the camps or on the streets. And it's not in our interests to have them prepared to commit suicide trying to come through the Tunnel".
Meanwhile the Albanian football team will be cheered by just twenty visiting fans at tonight's World Cup qualifier in Newcastle after 155 visa applications were refused by the Home Office.